Academic Dismissal

This page describes the process of returning to the university after an academic dismissal. The first thing you need for re-admission is to verify that you need to speak to the Dean of Undergraduate Success rather than another official on campus. These holds are issued when you have been dismissed due to academic performance, and they say to see William Harlow. If you have been dismissed due to your conduct while a student, you will need to visit with Penney Nichols, the Associate Dean of Students. He is located in the Student Union on the second floor of the Mesa building.

If you do have one of the “Dr. Harlow holds,” the next thing you need to do is to determine whether you are seeking to appeal your dismissal or whether you are seeking to be re-admitted. The difference is important. The first academic dismissal from UTPB is for one long semester, the second is for one year, and the third is for three years. You need to appeal if you want to return to school without completing the term of your dismissal. You are applying to be re-admitted if you will return to school after having served the appropriate term of dismissal.

Appeal of an Academic DismissalAn academic dismissal is extremely serious and typically only happens when you earn a semester gpa below 2.0 when you are already on academic probation or have otherwise failed to comply with university academic regulations. As a result, granting an appeal of an academic dismissal requires exceptional circumstances. You should not expect the appeal to be granted automatically. A typical appeal is granted under one of two conditions:

UTPB made a factual error and you should not have been dismissed.

There was an exceptional circumstance which justifies being re-admitted without serving the term of dismissal. This circumstance must be sufficiently serious to have led to both the original probation and later dismissal, must have been outside your control, and must be resolved prior to returning to school. You must also have taken reasonable steps to have dealt with the circumstance while still enrolled here as a student. While those reasonable steps will vary, they would typically include regular meetings with the Retention Officer and use of appropriate academic resources.

If you elect to appeal an academic dismissal, you must write a formal letter to the Dean of Undergraduate Success. It is expected that you will take your time writing this letter to draft a formal document. The letter should specifically address one of the two categories of arguments above. Even though you are dismissed, you are welcomed to contact one of the writing tutors in the Success Center for assistance in this project. You will send the letter via email as an attachment to me at harlow_w@utpb.edu and to leyva_a@utpb.edu. If a face to face meeting is appropriate, you will be contacted by the Dean's office. Please be sure to include your contact information in the letter.

Applying to be Re-admittedIf you wish to return to school after serving the term of your dismissal, the process has fewer restrictions and centers on you presenting evidence that you are likely to be successful in an academic program if re-admitted. Please note that you are very strongly encouraged to begin this process two to three months in advance of the date you would like to return. The key to determining whether you have served the term of your dismissal is not the date on which you apply. Rather, the important factor is the date on which you seek to return.

As with an appeal, the process begins with a formal letter sent as an attachment to an email. This letter should be sent to harlow_w@utpb.edu as well as to leyva_a@utpb.edu. As with an appeal letter, you are strongly encouraged to use the services of the writing tutors to help you draft a formal document. The reason for this is that we want to know you are serious about your return to school. In addition, writing skills and using tutors as a resource will be important when you return. We want you to have and to demonstrate those skills from the outset.

Your letter should discuss three things. First, you should discuss what led to your original dismissal. Second, you should discuss what you have done during the time when you were dismissed. Finally, you should discuss what actions you will take to ensure greater success when re-admitted to the university.

After sending your letter, please contact Angelica Leyva via email (listed above) or via phone at 432-552-3353. You will need to arrange a time to visit with the Dean to discuss a plan for your success going forward. If re-admitted, you will then go visit with Vickie Gomez. Ms. Gomez is our Retention Officer, and she works Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Your meeting with the Dean will need to be on the same day.

Academic dismissal is an extremely serious process, and UTPB will do everything possible to help you avoid that possibility. Let us know what we can do to help you avoid a dismissal altogether!